There is Always Another Morning
by Pat Majaski
Summary: Kraeth is a cleric in the service of Lathander, the Morning Lord, and Imoen is a thief studying the ways of magic.rnBoth are Chilren of Bhaal, attempting to escape a madman bent on stealing their souls and attaining divinity. (MCImoen) R&R!
1. Chapter I

Darkness and mystery flooded his mind as Kraeth attempted to discern his surroundings. For a moment, all he could see was the massive void that stretched out before him. Despite its eerie beauty, all that was here was emptiness. Suddenly, it was no longer empty. An immense light pierced the silent void, but this was not the holy light of Lathander, the Morning Lord. Kraeth awoke from this nightmare only to find that the reality he found himself in was much less preferable. Pain was soon added to the unpleasant, enigmatic shadows that he was engulfed in. In the midst of it all, Kraeth finally perceived the dark, steel cage that was his environment, and the darker-still man in from of him that must be his captor. The man spoke in a calm voice, as if this were completely normal, "Ah, the Child of Bhaal has awoken. It is time for more... experiments." 

All returned to blackness. Soon, the man's voice changed in to a much softer female voice. This, Kraeth recognized. There was a human lass crouching in front of him, fiddling with the lock on his cage. Something was oddly familiar about this girl. Her thick, black garb looked as if it came from the North, and her worried stance suggested that she was certainly a stranger to this place. It was only when he heard the girl's voice, that he remembered. "Wake up, you!" the girl whispered with a frightened tone, it was Imoen, Kraeth's childhood friend.

Growing up in Candlekeep was far from the most exciting place, for a child. All that was in Candlekeep was crotchety old monks that dwelt within the grand libraries, and the grumpy soldiers who strolled around as if they owned the place, there were few other children to be found. Then there was Imoen. She did not arrive for some years after Kraeth did, but the two immediately became friends. Imoen always looked out for him, referring to him as "Lil' brudder", until a few years later when he grew much taller than she. In spite of them not being brother and sister, or perhaps because of it, the two were very close and inseparable by any force they had come in to contact with, and they had a very special bond that was stronger than either of the two were aware of. Lost in memory, Kraeth almost didn't hear Imoen's voice calling to him, "Wake up! We have to get out of here!"

* * *

Getting out of the underground dungeon was easier than Kraeth had expected, and he had even found help along the way. His old friends, Jaheria the half-elven druid and Minsc the slightly addled ranger were nearby Kraeth's own cage. A nearby stash held a key for Jaheria's cell, she was thankful for her release, though noticeably worried. 

"Have you seen Khalid?" the Druidess asked. Khalid was Jaheria's husband, they had been together for as long as Kraeth had known them, since he had met the two in the Friendly Arm Inn near the city of Baldur's Gate.

"I have not," Kraeth said, "perhaps we shall find him hiding under a bed along the way." he added with a slight smile.

Jaheria rolled her grey-blue eyes, "Despite your... wit... Khalid would be of great aid to us. We shall need all the help we can get to escape this place alive."

Kraeth chuckled, "Ahhh, he likes it. Come, I have found the key to your cage. We will celebrate once we have escaped from this hole."

Rescuing Minsc was not as easy. "AHH! Minsc will be FREE! These bonds will not hold my wrath! Butts will be LIBERALLY kicked in good measure!" The Berserker shouted.

Kraeth smiled sadly, "Hello Minsc, do you know how to open your cage?" But Minsc was not listening. Minsc began to cry about his witch, Dynaheir. Kraeth suddenly had an idea.

"Minsc, you are pathetic, if you could not protect your witch I would not want you at my side." he said, narrowing his eyes at the ranger, "Your being here shows you are weak."

"Do not force me to add your ass to the kicking list!" Minsc screeched in fury, "Minsc will be FREE! I shall smack your face to the earth with my boot heel of justice! I shall make sure you do not abandon any more friends to the darkness! RAAAAAAGGGHHH" There was a loud scraping of iron as Minsc, in a rage of livid fury, ripped the bars of his cage apart from where they stood. Kraeth knew that his plan had worked, but never before had he been so frightened in his life. Minsc was not the sort of person that one would purposefully anger unless the situation was quite dire.

"I... I see what you did! You said what you did just to get me mad! Minsc is free! Ha HA!" Minsc cheered, his anger quickly disappearing.

"Come with me Minsc, and we shall wipe the floor with the buttocks of all that oppose us!" Kraeth grinned.

"Ha HA! Now you are speaking the language of Minsc!"


	2. Chapter II

Kraeth peered around the corner, the room ahead of him was quite dark but he could make out some basic shapes. Imoen tapped on his shoulder, 

"I think they put some of our gear in here. They probably sold the best stuff, but it's worth a look." She said with a smile. Kraeth smiled back, but it wasn't the thought of equipment that made him do such. To Kraeth, Imoen's smile was... much like the dawning of a new sun.. It slowly crept up, but radiated with the beauty of many stars. It was a sweet, sisterly smile, one that Kraeth had known for many years, but could never quite -- suddenly Kraeth's thoughts were interrupted by a rather impatient half-elf.

"We don't have time to dawdle, Kraeth! We must get a move on to get Khalid and get out of here..." Jaheria said harshly. Jaheria was an old friend, and an old friend of Kraeth's foster-father Gorion, but she very rarely warmed up to Kraeth. In the darkness of the mysterious dungeon, it was hardly a surprise that this wasn't one of those times. Kraeth nodded to Imoen, "You've been sneaking around puffer-guts for years, do your thing and tell us what is in that room" he said with a wink. "Puffer-Guts" was Imoen's name for Winthrop, the rather portly man who ran the Inn back at Candlekeep.

For the most part, the room was a pleasant, well furnished place. Not the type of place you would expect to find just a door away from the horrible steel cages they had just come from. The floors were made of brown-orange marble, but the walls were made of metal that was starting to rust. A small table in the middle of the room held a few weapons, and a chest nearby held some suits of armor. This was probably an armory of sorts, Imoen found it a tad odd that you would put readily available equipment near prisoners. A few paintings were held on the wall, depicting a pleasant countryside, and a few rugs tattered (and in the process of rotting) rugs were on the ground. When Imoen stared hard at the shadows in the far corner of the room, she gave a small shriek and ran back outside to where Kraeth, Jaheria, and Minsc stood.

"Calm down child! What is it?" Jaheria was quick to say. Imoen said only one word, but it was enough to let the small group know that a sizeable danger was in the room before them.

"Golem!" Imoen said worriedly. For those who do not know, Golems are large creatures built of (usually, Flesh golems are an exception to this) inorganic materials, common materials are Clay, Stone, and sometimes even Adamantine. Despite their humanoid look, they are not natural creatures. Golems are usually built by mages to guard themselves or their possessions.

Kraeth waited to see if the golem would rush out after Imoen. After a few minutes, it became obvious that the artificial nightmare was not coming. Or perhaps it just couldn't fit through the door. Minsc peered inside, giving a small whisper of "Evil? Are you there? I have a boot heel that wants an acquaintance with your buttocks!"

Minsc turned back towards the others and said simply, "It does not move." Kraeth cautiously tip-toed through the archway, and look for the abomination. Sure enough, it was just standing there, gazing at the wall. Kraeth motioned for his companions, "It appears safe... for the time."

However, once he said this, the Golem sprang to life. It turned its massive head towards Kraeth and said in a low, unnatural voice, "Prisoners... you must not escape... the Master does not will it... Return to your cages... it is the Master's will."

Kraeth's countenance was not a fond one, "I will leave and neither you nor your master will be able to stop me!"

"I am not bound to stop you...", the Golem said, "the Guardian will stop you... from entering the Master's chambers... Return to your cages... it is the Master's will."

"It's no use Kraeth," Jaheria muttered, "this golem was not made to give us anything useful. Come, we should gear up, Child." Kraeth nodded in agreement, quietly picking out a mace from the table, and a set of splint mail from the chest. The armor wasn't in the best of conditions, and was actually starting to rust a little, but it wasn't too shoddy that it couldn't be used.

Minsc found a very large two-handed sword hidden in the corner, and was quite happy with himself. "Look, Boo!" he said gleefully, "We have found us a sword to properly meet evil with the justice that shall fell it!"

"Boo?" Kraeth said, amused, "How did you stash away that hamster and why do you still hold on to it?" Boo was Minsc's eternal companion, as well as his best friend. It was quite obvious that Minsc had suffered a few too many head wounds, but if that was before or after he started to talk to Boo was questionable. Minsc was just like that.

"Ha HA!" Minsc gave an excited yelp, "Wherever there is Minsc there shall be Boo! Even his miniature form shakes with fury that will destroy our foes! Minsc and Boo are always together when on the battlefield!"

"That's great Minsc. Listen, we need to get out of here, so we should move now!" Jaheria said with her ever-serious tone. Even Minsc had to agree, this was not the time to shout threats about Butt-Kicking to the forces of Evil. When they were all geared up, Kraeth and Minsc both took the front and started heading down the hallway away from the cages that once imprisoned them.

* * *

Even from where they stood, they could hear the crackling of electricity. Peeping around the corner, Imoen could see a tall tower-like structure that was the full height of the incredibly tall room. The base was made of a strange, blue metal, which served as a foundation for the spire, four obsidian columns stretched around the middle. The middle, however, was a field of energy. The strange machine buzzed, as the lightning-like vortex spewed forth a winged beast! The creature was actually quite small in comparison to the group, but it was no less deadly. 

Lightning spat from the creature's sharp teeth as it rushed towards Minsc, the closest target. Clawing at his face, Minsc gave a roar that made even Boo's fur stand on end. His calls for help did not go unanswered, however. With the reflexes that only a thief such as herself can earn, Imoen tossed a dagger she had found towards the beastie's head. Unfortunately, gave a small jump, and the blade ended up hitting its wing instead. With the creature crippled, it was an easy target for Minsc's colossal great sword.

"Ha HA! Did you see that Boo? Did you Kraeth? Kraeth?" Minsc said with a giddy laugh. Kraeth, unfortunately, was having his own troubles. Yet another of the demons had come forth from the structure, and was making an attempt to knock away Kraeth's mace. It decided otherwise when a blow to the head from Jaheria was delivered, and the beast went screeching off to other parts of the dungeon.

"Well, that was survivable," Jaheria said calmly, "but how do we close this thing?"

Imoen had found something. On the wall was a complex object, with a rather large switch protruding from it. "Hey," She said quietly, "I wonder what this does."

Suddenly, the lights went out.


	3. Chapter III

**Imoen**

There was a short, sputtering cough from the middle of the dim room. The electrical crackling had stopped, and it was eerily silent.

"I'm probably blushing so much that Jaheria can see it, even without her elven sigh..." I embarrassingly thought to myself.

"S-sorry about that you guys, I didn't think all the lights would turn out." I said in a quiet voice. Kraeth smiled at me through the darkness. "No worries at all Imoen, you made the portal close... for the moment at least." He said, giving me a pat on the back. I had always loved adventuring with my brother. Though we weren't biologically related, it still felt that way.

I gave a weak smile back, and murmured, "Maybe if I hit the switch again the light will come back on..."

"Wrong, mortal." A sudden booming laugh pierced the silence that surrounded us.

"Minsc? Please tell me that was you..." I barely managed to squeak, but I knew it wasn't. This voice didn't have Minsc's northern accent, and it certainly lacked his incredible enthusiasm for even the most simple of things.

"Wrong again, tch tch."

At this point, the lights flashed back on. I could see now that we no longer stood in the marble room with the spire that spewed forth demons, but instead this place seemed almost... organic. A group of large, red crystals was in the middle of the humid room, as well as many more groupings were along the walls. Everywhere there were pools of purple-colored water, and the ground seemed to... move every now and then. A shape in front of us slowly illuminated itself. From the ground, a purple wisp of smoke rose and slowly formed in to the upper-half of a very muscled man. It carried a scimitar in each hand, and its head was adorned by a puffy, purple hat with a multicolored feather extending from it.

"Welcome, Kraeth!" its voice boomed, "You have escaped slightly later than I had expected, but welcome nevertheless. I am Ataquah." It said with a large grin.

"Indeed," I heard Kraeth's calm, musical voice sound out, "We have escaped. I wonder what part you had in my capture.

"Ha-ha!" It laughed, "Worry not, I did so enjoy your blundering, it was not _I_ that wished _you_ captured." It gave a slight sneer as it said this.

"I care little for your amusements, answer my questions or feel my wrath." Kraeth said, narrowing his pretty, brown eyes. _Wait, pretty?_

"Ha-ha!" The being laughed, yet again, "I had not... foreseen this! Excellent! Very well Kraeth, what do you wish to know? The Past? The Present? The Future? All of these things, and nothing. Tell me Kraeth, will you answer a question for Me? I would be ever so delighted..."

Kraeth growled, "If it leads to any making of sense..."

Ataquah shouted with glee, "Here is my... hypothetical... question! You and your sibling have been trapped, the mage responsible appears in front of you and forces you to make a choice! In each of your cells is a magical button, if you push your button but your sibling does not... You die, and your sibling goes free. If your sibling pushes the button and you do not... they die, you go free. If either both or neither of you pushes the button... heh," it chuckled, "You both die! So tell me, dear Kraeth... What would you do?" Ataquah was grinning immensely at this point. I honestly was not aware of what he would answer; Kraeth struck me as the self-sacrificing type... for the most part.

"There is no question at all here," He said calmly, "I would of course push the button." I was glad. I realized that Ataquah was not talking about us, but the thought that Kraeth would do as such for me... err... someone, was truly a happy one.

Now, it was all Ataquah could do to keep himself from bursting out in inane laughter, "Well! No action is without consequence, especially for those who follow the noble path! Deal with this, _O' Noble One_!" Ataquah disappeared, cackling like a madman. Truly, I believe he may have easily been just that. A cloud of smoke rose where Ataquah had just stood, but when the smoke dissipated, a large ogre stood in its place!

The ogre was wearing a rather crude suit of large, yellow plate mail, and was wielding a rather rusty, yet incredibly large blade. Despite its shoddy equipment, I knew that the strength of the beast would truly be what mattered. I wasn't disappointed. The ogre immediately through his large sword towards me. Luckily, I was hit only by the flat side. Pain raced through my chest where it had it me, and I was pinned to the ground in an instant. Unable to move, it was all that I could do to watch Minsc shout out how he was going to tear the skin off of evil's ears and have Boo chew at them.

Kraeth pounced on to the ogre's back, attempting to club it into unconsciousness with his mace. He was not successful. The ogre, a being of much superior strength, threw him off as if he were naught but a child. Hitting the ground with a tumble, Kraeth was quick to take the battlefield again. Minsc at this point was busy hacking in to the beastie's leg armor, eventually cutting off one of its legs (tis but a scratch.) The ogre roared at this, smashing Minsc to the side. It was about to squish Minsc in to a pulp, when it was suddenly interrupted by Jaheria's spear piercing its head, causing it to collapse to the floor.

"Well done!" Ataquah's voice was quick to announce. Though the creature was no where to be seen, its voice radiated throughout the chamber, "It appears you can deal with the consequences of your action, mortal! For your indulgence, I offer advice. Seek out Reilev."

Kraeth quickly rushed to my side, but I was unable to answer his attempts to talk to me. "She's alive. Taking a hit like that couldn't have been painless, she's only unconcious." I heard his voice say to the others.

"Actually" Jaheria's voice said, "I believe we should rest as well.

Just before I slipped in to sweet, sweet unconciousness, I heard a slight chittering from the darkened corners of the room. Then all slipped in to darkness...


	4. Chapter IV

**Kraeth**

Dreams are not always pleasant. This night... or day... I could tell which... proved to be a reminder of that. I was often visited from Ghosts of the past, this was not something new to me.  
The Ambush.  
_"Flee child, get away from here!" I could hear Gorion, my foster father, cry out to me. We were surrounded once again by a massive armored figure, bent on eliminating me. The man's companion, Tamoko, a small human woman from Kara-Tur, sneered at me as she lifted her bow to fire a shot. The man was flanked by two hulking ogres, rushing towards Gorion. They were easily dispatched, my father was an arch magi who was quite capable of destroying a few simple ogres. The armored figure himself was another matter. It was Sarevok, my half-brother, who had planned to become the next Lord of Murder._

_"Hand over your ward and I shall let you go free." The man's deep voice rumbled throughout the wilderness._

_"Never." Gorion said simply, glaring at the armored figure._

_"You are a fool old man; I will cut you down without pause. Give him to me."_

_Gorion replied to this by sending several fireballs and magic-missiles towards the man, several large flashes and booming explosions soon filled the tree-filled plains._

_The ogres soon were charred beyond recognition, and Tamoko had fled during one of the flashes and was no where to be seen. I wasn't entirely surprised, Tamoko had a tendency to flee when she could._

_Much to my pain and suffering, Gorion was mercilessly bashed to the ground and torn apart by Sarevok as if he were a child's doll! I ran, I ran until I could no longer feel my legs and then I ran further. I soon collapsed to the ground, hoping that I would not be found by my half-brother, I knew I wouldn't stand a chance where Gorion had failed._

_Unconsciousness swept over me, but it was soon interrupted. A woman's pleasant, familiar voice called out, "Hey ya, it's me, Imoen."_

_

* * *

_  
Kraeth jutted awake with a start, taking a moment to understand his surroundings. No longer was he being hunted by Sarevok's cronies, Kraeth had destroyed them months ago. His first thought came to... "Imoen! Is she alright?" Kraeth said, not realizing he was talking aloud.

"Oh, she'll be fine." Jaheria said coolly, "How are _**you**_ doing? You were thrashing about quite a lot. It is your turn for watch, by the way."

"I'm... alright." Kraeth, "Reliving the past, unfortunately."

Jaheria knew better than to pry, and soon went to her bedroll. Despite Khalid's disappearance, Jaheria seemed to have calmed down quite a bit. It was obvious that she was still quite worried, however. Despite the worries of everyone around him, Minsc slept quite peacefully, every now and then mumbling something about having worn out his boots from all the butt-kicking.

Despite that it was my watch, I soon found myself drifting off again...

* * *

_ "Burn the evil one!" I heard someone cry out, "Foul Cyrician!" another called. I slowly opened my heavy eyes, only to be greeted by a most unpleasant sight. In front of me was a large crowd of people, most were peasants and commoners by the looks of it. I was tied to a large wooden altar, surrounded by armored figures holding large, glaring torches. The events that were about to follow were quite obvious._

_"All of ye gathered! This... unholy man has dared to tread upon the land of the Even-Handed, Tyr!" A tall man in front of me, spoke to the crowd._

_"What shall we do with him? By the will of Tyr, we shall burn him!"_

_Scattered cries of "Kill the fiend!" and "Destroy the evil one!" could be heard throughout the crowds._

_"What have ye to say for yourself, Foul Cyric follower?" One of the armored men yelled at me._

_"I," I said calmly, "do not follow Cyric. Cyric is a fool! A myth! I follow only Bhaal, Lord of Murder! You shall all be struck down by his wrath if you do not free me now!" It was true; I had at one point been a priest of Bhaal. I had not realized my heritage at this point._

_"Even so, you are an evil being! You must BURN!" shouted someone from the crowd._

_I knew that I could not stand up to this many people, especially tied to the altar as I was. I begun to silently pray to myself, hoping someone would come to my aid. Perhaps it was divine intervention, perhaps not. Suddenly, there was a small flash and a cloud of smoke appeared in front of me. I could feel my bonds becoming undone, and someone was pushing me away from the altar to which I was bound. I began to ran, much like I did when Sarevok had killed Gorion, my foster-father._

_There was a hooded figure running beside me, the one who had aided in my escape. It wasn't until we came to a small forest clearing that they finally revealed who they were. "And so the tables have turned, I see." The voice was unmistakable. I hadn't seen Imoen for many months, ever since The Ambush._

_"I knew you were training as a priest but... Bhaal? I never would have thought that of you..." Imoen didn't look too entirely happy at this. Imoen had never liked death. Though she wasn't too frightened by it, it sickened her._

_"So many people close to me are murdered; I plan to return the favor." I said with smoldering eyes._

_"You've changed quite a bit, Kraeth..." She said, sadly._

_"You haven't much." I returned._

_"Hey ya," she gave a weak smile, "it's me, Imoen."_


End file.
